Best Brick Oven Pizzas In Seattle

August 28, 2012 8:00 AM

There’s nothing better – or more authentic – than ducking into a cozy little restaurant that delivers hot and savory pizzas straight from a brick oven. There’s something about that fire-fueled heat that makes the crust perfectly chewy, tempting you to eat the entire pie. Seattle is in the middle of a brick-oven pizza renaissance with plenty of ovens aglow throughout the city. Each pizza house is unique in its specialties and charm – what they have in common is the deliciousness coming out of their brick ovens on a nightly basis.

This pizzeria from Seattle’s prolific restaurateur Tom Douglas is just a stone’s throw from Pike Place Market. Walk past this popular pie joint and you’ll immediately be tempted to enter by the glow of the oven and the energy of the patrons awaiting its pizza bliss. If you want the taste of the Pacific Northwest, then steer your way to the pie that’s topped with Penn Cove clams, house pancetta, chilis and lemon thyme ($18). Clearly, this is truly some serious pie.

Weeks before this pizza house opened, curious onlookers would stop by this grand daddy of the scene and press their heads up to the window, trying to get a glimpse of the amazing brick oven that was being installed at the back of the shop. The oven may have been a show stopper pre-opening, but once Via Tribunali opened its doors for business, it was the pizza coming out of the oven that had people stopping dead in their tracks. Classic toppings reign supreme here like those on the Capricciosa pie: pomodoro, fresh mozzarella, prosciutto cotto, oven-roasted mushrooms, artichokes and olives.

This pizza project was surrounded by plenty of buzz and anticipation months before it opened since the love story of co-owners Molly and Brandon was followed by thousands on Molly’s popular blog Orangette. As a result, there may have been some pressure on them to deliver the goods when that first pizza pie was slid from the oven and onto a plate. And delivered they did. This place is certainly the most darling (even earning praise from national press) of the pizza joints in town, so if you want to see what all of the buzz is about, you better get here before the doors open or you may be standing in line waiting for the next table to open up. But it’s worth it. If you’re looking to mix it up a bit, try the White Pie ($14) that comes topped with housemade ricotta, fresh and aged mozzarella and garlic with just the right amount of Grana sprinkled on top.

Neighbors in the Beacon Hill area sure were happy when Bar del Corso fired up its brick oven. Not only do neighbors stop by this wildly popular restaurant, but people from all over the city have been zeroing in on Beacon Hill with Bar del Corso as their main destination for some of the best fare coming out of a brick oven. Try the classic Funghi pizza ($12.50) with crimini mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and housemade sausage, all topped with pecorino and fontina. But make sure to save room for the Baccala Mantecato ($10) – a delightful savory bite of whipped salt cod and potato with olive oil and garlic. You’ll be glad you did.

Tutta Bella has been a mainstay for brick-oven fired pizza for some time now. It just seems to get everything right for families – the atmosphere, the location, the prices and, of course, the pizza. If you’re looking to share some pizza memories with your family or a large gathering of friends, this is the place to do it. Tutta Bella can handle all of your pizza needs which might explain the room full of happy people with their slices ready in hand. Stop by for lunch and pick out any pizza on its house menu like the Margherita DOC (pomodoro, mozzarella di bufala and basil) and get the 8-inch version for only $8. Now that’s a deal too good to pass up.

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Jenise Silva is a freelance writer in Seattle who has studied culinary, visual and performing arts. She penned the financial planning guide Women & Money, and has been writing about food and the arts for a number of years. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.